Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
For decades, evangelical Christianity championed Israel and religious freedom. As a result, it often found itself clashing with supremacist strands of Islam. Deep concern over Christian persecution—largely in Muslim-majority countries post-Soviet collapse—fueled wariness of political Islam’s aggressive forms. Recently, things have begun to shift. Some evangelical institutions in the US have begun to embrace woke ideologies, softening their stance on Islamism. Meanwhile, as evangelicalism wanes in the U.S. it is surging in the global south. There, Christians face radical Islam head-on, and staunchly pro-Israel positions remain in the ascendant. This shift is shaping new dynamics. In Iran, for example, evangelicals are quietly building the underground church’s strength, and hoping for the fall of the regime. How will these trends reshape evangelical engagement with Islam and global Christianity’s future?
Andrew J. “A. J.” Nolte, Ph.D., is the director of the M.A. in International Development, M.A. in Government, Ph.D. in Government, and the Israel Institute, and an associate professor. He previously served as an adjunct professor of politics at Messiah College (2013–2017) and taught at George Washington University, Catholic University of America, and National Defense University. His research focuses on political Islam and high modernism in state-formation processes, particularly in Turkey and Indonesia. He holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Politics from Catholic University of America.
For decades, evangelical Christianity championed Israel and religious freedom. As a result, it often found itself clashing with supremacist strands of Islam. Deep concern over Christian persecution—largely in Muslim-majority countries post-Soviet collapse—fueled wariness of political Islam’s aggressive forms. Recently, things have begun to shift. Some evangelical institutions in the US have begun to embrace woke ideologies, softening their stance on Islamism. Meanwhile, as evangelicalism wanes in the U.S. it is surging in the global south. There, Christians face radical Islam head-on, and staunchly pro-Israel positions remain in the ascendant. This shift is shaping new dynamics. In Iran, for example, evangelicals are quietly building the underground church’s strength, and hoping for the fall of the regime. How will these trends reshape evangelical engagement with Islam and global Christianity’s future?
Andrew J. “A. J.” Nolte, Ph.D., is the director of the M.A. in International Development, M.A. in Government, Ph.D. in Government, and the Israel Institute, and an associate professor. He previously served as an adjunct professor of politics at Messiah College (2013–2017) and taught at George Washington University, Catholic University of America, and National Defense University. His research focuses on political Islam and high modernism in state-formation processes, particularly in Turkey and Indonesia. He holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Politics from Catholic University of America.
